


Virals Reworked

by transtlanticism



Category: Virals Series - Kathy Reichs
Genre: F/M, M/M, and adding scenes in where they SHOULD BE, half the ideas are tabby's, honestly im just rewriting shit, i think im gonna rework the entire plot of terminal, im gonna fix one of the last virals scenes as well, this isnt gonna be in chronological order
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 10:38:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14447514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transtlanticism/pseuds/transtlanticism
Summary: Scenes that should have been included, plot lines that should have been reworked and fixing the entire disaster that was Terminal





	1. Missing Scene—CODE

SHELTON

…

As Ben stood up and left the room, Tory cast one more pained glance at her father before getting up and scrambling after him.

Kit cast a glance over his shoulder. “What’s that about?”

I shrugged. Glanced at Hi, silently imploring him not to tell Kit. For his part, he just stared out the window, watching the storm.

Kit stood up. “I should go talk to the police,” he said. “Ask them if they’re ready to take statements.”

He wandered out, shaking his head.

Hi stood up and shut the door. “He’s telling her.”

“This is bad,” I said hollowly. “Ben could be charged if she says anything.”

“That idiot.” Hi slammed a fist on the table. “What did he have to go and do that for?”

“He could have told us.” I glanced out the window as an entire bush blew by. “Jesus Christ. Is he gonna tell Tory why he did it?”

“That he unwittingly worked with a mass murderer and almost got hundreds of Charleston’s finest killed to impress her?” Hi shook his head. “Straight people.”

Despite everything, I snorted. “What, you wouldn’t have done that for me?”

“I don’t have to.” Hi grinned at me. “We’re already dating.”

“Do you think Ben and Tory know, and they’re just not saying anything, or are they just that oblivious?”

“They’re just that oblivious.” Hi tilted his chair back. “God. This is going to be a disaster in trial.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked.

“Testify,” Hi said, dropping his head to the table. “Try to avoid gossip at school. They owe us now, the jerks. Maybe they’ll leave us alone.”

“No, I mean about the pack. What are we going to do? How do we deal with this?”

Hi shook his head. “I’m not mad.”

“You’re not?”

“No.” He lifted his head to look at me. “Look, we know Ben would never have done this intentionally. He’s a fucking moron who’s too socially inept to actually try to communicate with Tory by normal means, but he’s in love with her. He screwed up, but he didn’t want any of this.”

I processed that. Found I agreed.

“I don’t think Tory’s going to be so understanding,” I hedged.

Hi shrugged. “It’ll take some time,” he said. “We just have to be patient. You know how stubborn they both are. It’ll pass.”

Kit appeared at the door, Tory and Ben in tow. Both of their eyes were red, and Tory looked like she’d just seen a ghost, freckles striking against her pale skin.

Ben had closed himself off, I could tell. I glanced at Hi, who looked dubious about his own statement that it would indeed pass. 

“You knew,” Tory said under her breath. “Both of you.”

“We found out about five minutes before you did,” I told her. “There’s no grand conspiracy, Tor.”

“Ben’s turning himself in.”

Hi avoided her eye. “I thought he might.”

“He doesn’t have to do that!” Fresh tears jumped to her eyes. “There’s no point! He isn't responsible for this!”

Hi and I exchanged hopeful glances. Maybe Tory had forgiven him. Maybe they’d kissed or something. Worked their shit out. 

“Are you…forgiving him?” I asked cautiously.

Her expression clouded. “I don’t know. I can’t think about this right now.”

“Did he tell you why he—”

“Victoria Brennan?”

A police officer poked her head out of a room. Tory stepped forward. “That’s me.”

“Come on in.”

The rest of us dropped into chairs to wait. Ben took one across the far corner, staring deliberately into space, walls up and not speaking. Kit followed Tory inside, intent on not leaving his daughter’s side for the next four years, probably.

I was sure Hiram and I would be getting similar treatment from our families. 

Hi elbowed me. I glanced over at him.

“I’d have done it for you,” he said quietly. “If I was that much of an idiot.”

My eyes rolled, but I hid a slight smile.


	2. Missing Scene—TERMINAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chance crashing at Ben's place after the events of Terminal, AKA the scene we were robbed of.

BEN

…

“Make yourself comfortable.” I tossed a pillow and blanket at Chance, annoyed that he had to stay at my house of all places. 

“Thank you.” Chance arranged them on the floor against the wall. “Shame I couldn’t stay at Tory’s place. I’m more familiar with her floor than Kit would expect.”

“I’m well aware,” I snapped. 

An awkward silence stretched as Chance tried to get comfortable.

“I didn’t hook up with her, you know,” he said quietly.

“That time?” I didn’t look at him, tugging a brush through my long black hair.

“That time,” he amended. 

“So when did you?” I set down the brush just bit too hard. “In your office, when she spent the night?”

“We only kissed,” Chance said delicately. “And then she…told me she 'just couldn’t.'”

“Oh yeah?” I folded my arms, still refusing to look up. “Is that because she kissed me on my boat when we were running from the Phoenix guys?”

“She kissed me in my study—”

My voice rose slightly, and I spun, heated. “She kissed me in the woods before that, when we—”

We both stopped. Stared at each other as the idiocy of our argument sunk in.

“We’re such assholes,” Chance muttered. 

A ghost of a smile. “Speak for yourself, Claybourne.”

I flipped off the lights, leaving only a small lamp glowing in the corner and climbed into bed. 

“Is she going to make a decision?” Chance’s voice floated towards the ceiling. “Maybe we should start a boy band. You, me, Jason…any other guy who’s fallen in love with her since she got here.”

“In your dreams, rich boy.” I glanced over at Chance. “For what it’s worth, you’re not the worst person in the universe.”

“I could say the same about you. Maybe try attacking me less.”

“I’m still going to kick your ass if you kiss her again.”

“What if she chooses me?” 

“I’ll still kick your ass,” I said wryly, although the anger had left my voice. “For totally unrelated reasons. Namely, you being a jackass throughout this entire ordeal. Keeping secrets. Writing files about Tory, like she's your damn property and not her own person.”

“That’s fair,” Chance said. “You're right. And I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye—”

“Understatement. I hated you. I’m still considering it.”

“I’m hoping we can clear this up for good,” Chance said, ignoring my last quip. “Now that there are no huge secrets between us. And none of us are Viral anymore.”

Viral. 

It was like an anchor dropped onto my chest, and tears that had been brewing for a long time finally took hold. 

The stress. The entire traumatic event. Being kidnapped by the government. Being chased by the Trinity. Losing our powers. 

I turned my face to the wall, hoping Chance couldn’t see me. 

“Are you okay?” He sounded shocked, standing up to hit the light switch. “Ben.”

For once, there was no taunt in his voice, no underlying current of bad blood. 

“I’m good,” I managed. “Shut up.”

He leaned against the wall, clearly having no intention of shutting up. 

“I feel responsible,” he said quietly. “I did this to you. I took your powers away.”

“You played yourself.” Muffled into a pillow. 

“I did.”

“We did also trick you. A lot.” I hoped no visible evidence of my quick breakdown was visible on my face as I rolled out of bed and stood up. 

“Self-preservation,” Chance said. “I get it.”

A look passed between us, and I took in the sensation of how odd our situation was. Again. I didn't think that would ever pass. 

“About Tory…” I trailed off, not sure what to say. 

“We’d both do anything for her,” Chance said. “Let’s leave it at that. And no matter what, no hard feelings.”

“I didn’t promise that.”

Chance snorted, flipping the lights off again and retreating to his corner. “You never change, Benjamin.”

“You’re damn right.”

As he drifted off, I tried to picture a life without flaring. A life where Tory chose Chance. Over me.

It was a difficult thought to process. But half of that was already real. Maybe it was time to change my outlook on life.

After all, I’d forgiven Chance. If I could do that, I could do anything. And, like I'd said before, Tory was her own person.

No matter what, we'd always be family.

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: @torybrennan


End file.
